ALPINE TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — Concerns are blossoming in orchards along The Ridge in West Michigan after Mexico announced a 20 percent tariff on apples from the U.S.
The move was in response to the United States' new tariffs on steel and aluminum imports.
Michigan is the second largest apple producer in the country. Jim May, who runs May Farms near Sparta and is also president of the Kent County Farm Bureau, explained that Mexico's tariffs will directly affect Washington state, the largest apple producer in the nation, and the effects will trickle down.
"I am very concerned," May told 24 Hour News 8 Thursday.
Mexico buys about $250 million worth of apples from Washington each year, Nick Schweitzer of Schweitzer Orchards in Sparta said. He said if Washington stops exporting to Mexico or if business slows, its apple growers may move in on Michigan's East Coast and Midwest markets.
"Generally, with the oversaturation of a product, the first thing that usually happens is a depress in prices," Schweitzer said.
The lower revenue would also dry up business for orchards.
"They're figuring it's going to be a big crop and if Washington picks a big crop: competition," May explained.
"It's not a good thing," he added.
There are alternatives, but Schweitzer said they are not very good options.